Richard Payne’s Bail Bondsman: 'He Believes He’s Innocent'

SPOKANE, Wash. - Convicted child molester and level three sex offender, Richard Payne, is now out on bail after being arrested earlier this week for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a 5-year-old girl at the Northtown Mall.

According to his bail bondsman, Christopher Smith, Payne is maintaining his innocence, despite video of the alleged crime.

"I definitely think, from the information I've gathered from him and his family, they do believe he's innocent," Smith said. "He believes he's innocent, and there are several extenuating circumstances that are going on."

However, Payne's conversations with his lawyer are private, and since neither of them are speaking to the media, it's not clear what those circumstances may be.

But Payne is being closely monitored by a GPS tracking ankle bracelet, monitored by Smith Family Bail Bonds – the company he posted $25,000 to in order to get out of jail.

"The way that we have everything set up, and the way that we are doing things with him, and because of the astringent release conditions he has, he has very, very little room to violate this," said company owner, Christopher Smith.

Payne was released from jail under the following conditions, imposed by Superior Court Judge Annette Plese and Smith Family Bail Bonds. He:

-Must remain in Spokane County, and can't leave the county or state without prior written permission from both superior court and Smith Family Bail Bonds

-Can't have any contact with people under 18

-Must appear at all court dates, without exception

-Must to stay in contact with his lawyer at least once a week in person

-Can't go within 2 blocks of the victim's home

-Can't go within 2 blocks of the Northtown Mall

-Can have no contact with any immediate family members of the victim or any witnesses

-Must reside at the home address provided to the court

-May not use or possess illicit drugs, alcohol or dangerous weapons.

-Must check in with the bail bonds company in person every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

-Abide by a curfew

-Not go near parks, schools, or any place children may congregate

-Wear the ankle-monitoring bracelet 24 hours a day

The ankle bracelet has GPS tracking, a built-in cell phone, a motion detector, and a strap enforced by cable that would require a bolt cutter to escape from.

"You have to basically cut off your own ankle to get it off because of what kind of material it's made out of, which also causes alarms," Smith explained.

Payne is just one of the company's clients to wear one. Each person is monitored 24 hours a day, to the point the company can tell how quickly they're walking, or if they're in a car, what speed they're traveling.

"It's a lot like Google Earth," explained Smith. "When we look at it, we can come down to exactly where he is in the GPS location, we can see the buildings, where he's at all times."

If Payne tries to cut it off, or go into a restricted area, an alarm sounds that goes back to the company. They have a recovery team that specializes in felony arrests, and they can respond to, and arrest Payne, within 5 minutes.

"If he does do something he's not supposed to do inside the release conditions, we have several fail safes that are in place to make sure he can't do anything wrong with the community," Smith said.

Payne is due back in court for an arraignment July 5th, and is expected to take the case to trial.

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KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho - The Idaho Department of Fish and Game wants to warn you about a grizzly bear that's been roaming around the Athol and Garwood area. Multiple people have reported seeing it, and wildlife officers have set up a trap to catch it, but so far they've been having trouble finding it. KHQ spoke with one woman who says the bear walked through her yard.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Authorities say eight people were killed in a crash involving two vehicles in the high desert of eastern Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the head-on collision happened after 10 a.m. Monday on Oregon Route 78 southeast of the small town of Burns. Oregon State Police Capt.

I'm more of a dog person, but if there is a place that is willing to pay me to live on an island in Greece and take care of cats, I'll become a feline fanatic. Well, there is someone offering such a job right now and they claim it's a real opening. God's Little People Cat Rescue posted on Facebook that they are looking for someone who can look after 55 cats on a little Greek island paradise called Syros.

I'm more of a dog person, but if there is a place that is willing to pay me to live on an island in Greece and take care of cats, I'll become a feline fanatic. Well, there is someone offering such a job right now and they claim it's a real opening. God's Little People Cat Rescue posted on Facebook that they are looking for someone who can look after 55 cats on a little Greek island paradise called Syros.

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